Today was an adventure and a half! I went to Ambar and Penny's (Penny is from the UK and is staying in the other hostel further up the hill from us; she's mad chill) project/favela with them today (since I have Tuesdays off). We took 2 buses and it took about an hour and and 20 minutes to get there. The favela itself is unreal and unlike any one that I've visited so far on this trip. There are twelve favelas all pretty much adjacent to each other that encompass Complexo do Alemão, and this "complex" is known as one of the roughest and most dangerous favelas in Rio. Last June there was civil unrest and a "war" broke out between the favela gangs and the police. Documented (as in newspaper articles, etc.) the government claims there were only 19 casualties but the favelados (people who live in the favelas) say that at least 70 were killed. This is typical of the government: to downplay how many casualties there actually were in order to keep the public (who don't live in the favelas) in the dark. As a result of this "massacre" (as the Cariocas call it), there is now military presence (soldiers replete with military uniforms, rifles and protected by waist-high sandbags) at the entrance of each favela in order to "maintain the peace."
So the three of us got to the center, Comunidade em Ação, at 10. When we arrived, Reza was sitting with 2 other guys writing down the project's creed basically into Portuguese. One of the men, he said, was a member of the community who had lived in the favela for 28 years and was attempting to go on and get his masters. It was proof that (contrary to popular belief) not just down-trodden, uneducated and uninspired people live in the favelas. He appeared to be someone who really wanted to help his community and see it prosper and grow. It was nice to meet someone who goes against all of those negative stereotypes that so many people believe are based in truth.
The center is so different than mine. Much more high-tech and put together. They even have a computer room (with about 5 computers in it) and a secretary! I mean, it doesn't look like a typical office space or anything like that, but it's a lot more organized and has a lot more resources than the community center in Falete. They owe a lot of that to Reza, though, who basically heads the center. He's Iranian and from D.C. He's really chill and really dedicated to this cause and getting it well established and well-received in the community. It's really admirable what he's doing (especially considering he doesn't get paid, isn't Brasilian and is basically funding the center and a lot of its resources with his own funds). His Portuguese is pretty much impeccable too (he's been here for a year and a half). I'm a bit jealous, lol ;). I also met Leandro, who also works at the center (he has 2 jobs, I think outside of that too, so he left at about midday). He was really nice and welcoming, and his English was great! I would've liked to have gotten the chance to chat with him a bit more, though.
They actually ended up making lunch for us (they have a kitchen; the secretary--whose name I can't remember :(--and another guy prepared the food; Ambar and Penny said that they actually hadn't prepared lunch for them before, but when we were eating we noticed there were a lot of people there eating too, so it's not like it was made specifically for us which is nice :), but Ambar, Penny and I were a bit hungry so went across the street to the bakery (which was emitting the most delicious smells) and bought some pastries. I was sooo happy with what I got! I got about 10 small (it's about 10 for 1 real) cookies called "biscoitos amanteigados," which basically translates as "butter cookies," but they were awesome and had this amazing jam in the center (*sigh of sheer ecstasy*). I also got 7 (that's how many it is for 1 real, so I figured I'd get that many and just share) small donuts coated in sugar and cinnamon (sounds simple but it was exquisite), called "rosquinha" (I may be spelling it wrong, but that's how the woman at the counter pronounced it). It was such a satisfying experience :).
When we got back to the center, I sat in on Ambar's class (she had 4 students, and was teaching them about how to tell time in English for an exam they have next week). Their English was much better than I'm sure any of them realized. Afterwards, we ate lunch and the rest of the afternoon I attempted to help Ambar shave a few pages off a "how-to" manual of how to utilize Microsoft Word, which Raza requested she do. We headed home at about 3:45.
When we got back, Ambar was speaking to Ashley (another American girl who is 25 and has been working with the center for a few years now) online and she invited us to a live show in Centro (which is a little past Lapa). We had a quick bite at Big Nectar with Russell, and then took the train to the Carioca stop (about a 5 minute ride). We were supposed to meet Ashley outside, but ironically just as we were stepping off, Ashley and Reza were too. We walked from there to the Teatro Nelson Rodrigues where we met Chris (whom Ambar and I met at orientation, and whom Ambar has seen a lot of since then because she seems to be tight with Raza and Ashley) and some of her friends in front of the theater. It was a free show, but the tickets went fast and just as we were getting to the window (there were about 2 people in front of us) the person behind it closed the shutters :(. Thankfully, though, we were able to sit on the steps in front of the stage (because there were no more seats). The show was absolutely fantastic. It was this band called "Mulheres de Chico," who do covers of songs by a famous Brasilian singer named Chico Burque. They were awesome and super energetic. It was a group of 20 women and each one played and instrument (there were lots of different types of drums, guitars, cymbals, 2 singers and some other instruments I can't name). Even though there were 2 singers, though, all of them sang along and seemed to have a genuinely good time on stage: dancing in place, bumping hips with the woman next to them and smiling up a storm :). It was so refreshing and their renditions were awesome. They also all wore different outfits, but the common thread, I noticed, was that they had to contain some red, pink and or white. I thought that was a cute touch ;). The show itself was about a little over an hour (at the end they did an encore--which the crowd demanded--and the audience was on their feet dancing samba in the aisles :). I wanted to buy a CD after the show, but they were only selling t-shirts. I wonder if they have any. I'm going to be on the hunt now, so if anyone knows anything about them, please let me know! ;)
Afterwards we went to a bar in Lapa with Reza, Ashley, Chris and her friends and had some drinks (I had a vodka tonic for the first time; it might be the last...). It was super chill and nice to get to know them. It was such a cool vibe :). Ambar and I took a cab home around 10:30 and here am I writing to you when I should be sleeping (because I have to teach tomorrow)! But I absolutely had to get all of my thoughts down about the day because it was so packed and I didn't want to forget a single thing. I think that's everything, though. Anything I've forgotten I'll just tell most of you in person ;). Well, boa noite!
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